First European Big Mountain Tour

J Dogg — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 23:25:24 -0400

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Lookin' to spend the winter in Europe? Now there's a full Big Mountain Tour to check out. But you better 'bring it', because Europe breeds some burly skiers... here's the details.

THE NISSAN SPORTS ADVENTURE FREERIDE TOUR - The First-Ever European Big Mountain Tour (Freeride Ski and Snowboard)

The organisers of the O'Neill Xtreme by Powerade - Verbier 07 are proud to announce the first European Freeride Tour created in partnership with Nissan. The tour will offer Freeriders the chance to win one of 14 starting positions in the world renowned Verbier Xtreme !! For the second year running Cyril Neri, double winner of the Xtreme 1998 and 2006, will lead this quest in the Alps between Austria and France in order to discover these 14 talented riders. With two qualification events in Schruns and Flaine, 7 skiers and 7 snowboarders will qualify for their entry for the O'Neilll Xtreme by Powerade 2007!

A pre-selection on the basis of application forms (15 Sept - 10 Dec 2006)
From September 15th till December 10th, 2006, ALL the skiers and snowboarders of the planet are able to register by Internet for the Freeride Quests. They just need to fill in a form on www.xtremeverbier.com and upload a few pics and a video. A selection committee will carefully select 27 skiers and 27 snowboarders who will be invited to participate in the Freeride Quest in Austria.

O'Neill Freeride Quest Powered by Nissan - Schruns-Tschagguns, Austria (19-21 Jan 2007)
54 rookies will meet for this first qualification in the Austrian resort of Schruns-Tschagguns on the 20th and 21st of January. Some riders and former riders of the Xtreme will be on the spot as judges and will evaluate these young talents in terms of performances and mental strength while riding in groups during the morning. In the afternoon a proper competition will define the 28 best riders that are qualified for the second event of the Tour : the Freeride Quest in Flaine.

O'Neill Freeride Quest Powered by Nissan - Flaine, France (8-10 Feb 2007)
In addition to the 28 rookies selected in Schruns, the Freeride Quest in Flaine will welcome 22 pro riders that have already participated in the Verbier Xtreme. These pro-riders will have to defend their seat in front of newcomers determined to take part in the ultimate event of this Tour, the prestigious Verbier Xtreme. This exceptional competition will take place in the Grand Massif resort from Feb 8 to Feb 10, 2007.

O'Neill Xtreme by Powerade - Verbier, Switzerland (23-25 March 2007)
Finally the best 5 male skiers and snowboarders as well as the best 2 female riders of both disciplines will be invited to take part in the 12th O'Neill Xtreme by Powerade in Verbier from March 23rd to 25th, 2007. There they will meet the first 6 skiers and snowboarders of the Xtreme '06, as well as the best 2 females of each discipline that have directly been reinvited. Once more the elite of freeride will tackle the mythical North Face of the Bec des Rosses, 3222m. The public is already invited to join them on the most beautiful natural arena of the Alps, the Col des Gentianes in Verbier, for a unique weekend.

Entry terms for the Nissan Sports Adventure Freeride Tour
- To be 18 years old minimum on the 1st of January 2007
- To comply with the participation rules, such as described on the Xtreme website.

-All the details at http://www.xtremeverbier.com/en/

Europe Stop #6 - Verbier, Switzerland

J Dogg — Sat, 13 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0400

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When pigs can fly, will all the crazy statements people have made over the years come true? More importantly, if billy goats could fly, would they all migrate to Verbier, Switzerland for the winter to join the lucky ones already there?

Fortunately, since the invention of airplanes skiers can fly, and anyone with a sense of adventure should be headed to Verbier as soon as possible, to hone their billygoating skills in one of the gnarliest mountain playgrounds on earth.

With Verbier scheduled as the third to last stop on our tour, nobody told us it would evolve into our last. Spending the first few days covering as much terrain as we could, it became obvious we wouldn't touch even a fraction of the terrain in the resort, not to mention the backcountry potential stretching as far as we could see. With the same tropical spring conditions that hit most of Europe, our choices were at least made easier by sticking to the highest and most northerly terrain we could find, of which there was no shortage.

Topping out the resort, the Mont-Fort tram spat us out at 3330m where a short traverse led to a maze of steep North and East facing ridges and chutes to session for the days to come. And in true big mountain Euro-style, the long laps finished with a descent to Lac de Cluesen, the impending traverse around it, sliding the side of a huge damn, and tucking through single track trees towards a chairlift in another village below. And every afternoon we pushed our luck further, trying to squeeze in yet another lap before the lifts closed. The fear was not of being stranded in another ski town, but of missing our daily 2 for 1 happy hour at the Pub Mont Fort.

When the beer started flowing so did the stories, and soon enough the drunken rumors of a huge spring storm had made it's way through the fervent crowd. If pigs could fly I might have believed that a 3-foot snowstorm was on it's way in mid April, aimed to burry sundecks, spring flowers, unsuspecting pedestrians in flip-flops, and anything else in its path. Luckily though, we were at least curious enough to stick around for the outcome... scoring more snowy bounty than any drunkard could have anticipated.

After 2 days of merciless snowfall, the balmy streets of Verbier in April had swung full circle back into the wintery playground we'd been looking for. With over 3 feet of freshies in the alpine and clearing skies in sight, we were in no hurry to leave. The new snow had opened up a whole new realm of tempting terrain, so we frantically skied as many easy-access laps as we could before returning to the real goods; the north face off the Mont-Fort, for unrelenting steep powder from top to bottom.

But it wouldn't be Verbier without a little billygoating, so to wrap the trip we climbed and skied the nearby Bec de Rosses to sample the steep venue of the annual O'Neil Extreme Freeride contest. A true billygoater's paradise, the Bec de Rosses' 45-55 face is scattered with cliffs and doglegging chutes to give any competitor or aspiring billygoater a run for their money.

As we milked every bit of the vacant, knee-deep bowl below, our fast-approaching flight to Canada was a dismal thought to contend with. After all, it's hard to look forward to sharing a plane seat with a pig.

DETAILS

Resort
Located in South-West Switzerland, Verbier is best accessed from Geneva. For more info about the resort, visit the resort site at www.verbier.ch.

Events
Verbier is home to a few high caliber big mountain events. Find out more about the Verbier Ride and the O'Neil Extreme Freeriding contest.

Accommodation
If you're looking for nice accommodation to impress the girlfriend/boyfriend, be sure to try the 'Aux Vieux Valais' chalet & restaurant right in the heart of town, with incredible views of the Grand Combin across the valley.

For cheap accommodation, the local bomb shelter doubles as an underground hostel, 'The Bunker'. Yes you read that correctly, and hey, at least you'll be safe. Find out more at www.thebunker.ch/

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First European Big Mountain Tour

Europe Stop #6 - Verbier, Switzerland